Pecan Logging - Alabama Style

Why we picked this week in January, I'll never know. But here's the pecan orchard that needs to be taken out. We met Gil and Marian in Salt Lake City in 2006. They worked for us one summer in Big Cottonwood Canyon, at Spruces Campground. That was a very difficult summer because of the shortages in campground hosts. They stuck with us for the entire summer - worked their tails off too! We became good friends and have kept in touch over the years. Here is their orchard. The trees are about 15 years old and never produced. They planted 1600 trees, fed, pruned, coaxed and loved them. They already removed half of them to try to get them to produce. It is with great regret that they have to take the rest of them out.

We're all bundled up (as my niece says, "like oompa-loompa's"). The first 2 trees are cut - only 598 to go! hahahaha

When volunteered our help with this job, we thought there were less than 100 trees - hahaha. I think Gil and Marian are paying us back for the summer of 2006! They feed us VERY well and we have a place to put the camper that is out of the wind. We are well taken care of here and can't beat the company. (Workampers will do anything for a site and a meal!)

The freezing temps aren't making it easy. It took us about 3.5 hours to cut down 53 trees on Saturday. It helps that we don't have to cut them down to the ground. Gil is moving them to a burn pile with his tractor. Then he'll have a backhoe come in to take out the stump and roots.

Don makes 2 or three cuts on the side that he wants the tree to fall. Then another cut on the opposite side. Most times the tree falls where Don wants it. We had a couple "spinners" though. I had to run from one of them. My main job is as a gopher to Don keep cutting. If the chain comes off the saw, I run it back to the barn and Gil's brother puts it back on. They keep him in chainsaws - there are 4 that he can use. My other main job is to keep the truck a safe distance from the tree Don is currently cutting. - hahaha - Oh yeah, I'm also the score keeper. I have to have a current count at all times.

Tomorrow is supposed to warm up to 50 and the wind will die down. We should really make headway!